WA households turn blind eye to fire risks
19/05/2009
New research* reveals more than one in three WA residents (37 per cent) still leave cooking unattended, despite kitchens being the most common place for home fires.
WA insurer SGIO last year received more than 70 claims per month for house fires, with kitchen fires accounting for over a third of all house fire claims in 2008.
SGIO State Manager Colin Tierney said the revelations were a timely reminder as winter approached – traditionally the busiest time for home fire claims in WA**.
“Many of us can be too relaxed about fire safety, even though kitchen fires can spread quickly and can jump from stove to curtains and cupboards in seconds,” Mr Tierney said.
“Unfortunately, each year too many families across WA suffer pain and loss due to a home fire, so we’re asking all WA households to focus on this particular risk as winter closes in."
The survey also revealed that one in four Western Australians (25 per cent) admitted to leaving the dryer or heater on while not at home and one in five (19 per cent) left the iron unattended.
Mr Tierney said there were a number of straightforward measures we could take to prevent a fire.
“We can all ensure we have fire extinguishers and fire blankets in our kitchens stored away from the stove and we can check our smoke alarms to see if they’re working once a month,” he said.
“Smoke alarms are an essential precaution and have proven time and time again to be life savers.”
To help prevent and be ready for a home fire, SGIO recommends all households:
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Install a smoke alarm(s) and check to see if they are working once a month;
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If you have battery-operated smoke alarms, change the batteries at least once a year;
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Have an evacuation plan and make sure everyone in the house is familiar with it;
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Keep a fire extinguisher and fire blanket at hand;
Don’t key-lock deadlocks on doors when at home in case you need to leave in a hurry; and -
Call 000 immediately if fire does break out and cannot be safely and quickly controlled.
For more information on how to make your home safer visit www.sgio.com.au/homesafety
* Based on Woolcott Research, February 2009
** Based on SGIO claims data.